The Alchemist and the Moroi
by ABprongslett
Summary: presenting Sydney and Adrian as and in Beauty and the Beast! (disney's version) when Adrian is cursed by the witch (enchantress) Ms. Terwilliger, he is turned into a monster and only true love can save him. Read on as our favourite pair, Sydrian, live the story of the beautiful Belle and the trapped Beast-Adam.
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Court, a young royal Moroi, a spirit user, named Adrian Ivashkov lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, like amazing good looks, unending wit and charm, and all the money he could ever need, he was selfish and unkind, arrogant and bitter at the betrayal of a certain dhampir.

But then, one winter night, an old beggar woman arrived at his doorstep and offered him a single rose in return for shelter for the night against the bitter cold and hungry Strigoi.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance, Adrian sneered at her gift and said, "Like I need any more roses in my life, old lady. You can go find someone else to pamper you; I hear there is an old man down the street who's also looking for a personal feeder. I recommend the job. Oh, and take your precious rose with you."

She warned him not to be deceived by appearances for "beauty is to be found within". But Adrian just shook his head and tried to close the door in her face. Suddenly, the old lady yelled an incantation in Latin and her ugliness changed to reveal a forty-something woman with white-streaked, wiry black hair who looked drained. Her name was Jaclyn Terwilliger and she was a witch.

She said, "Could I have a glass of orange juice?"

Adrian, who had realised his mistake, rushed to do so and tried to apologise to her. After drinking the orange juice in two gulps, Jaclyn shook her head and said, "It's far too late for you to apologise, Adrian, for now I see that you have no love in your heart."

So saying, she ignored all Adrian's protests and punished him by turning him into a terrible beast. She magically transferred him and his castle to a terrible desert, Palm Springs.

He had been turned into an abomination of sorts. He was no longer a Moroi, dhampir or Strigoi. He was a combination of all three. He had the control over feeding which only Moroi possessed, the strength, speed and agility of a dhampir and the cruel and violent nature of a Strigoi. His green, green irises had been changed to blood red, though they still contained a thin ring of green on the outside. His already pale skin had become white as pure snow. He was merely a shadow of his former self.

Ashamed of his hideous appearance, Adrian shut himself away in his castle with only a mirror created with his spirit magic as his window to the outside world. The rose was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would turn into a proper Strigoi at the stroke of midnight on his birthday and be doomed to remain an immortal monster for all time eternity.

As the months passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

**A/N: so what do you think? Should I continue? If I don't get at least ONE positive response, be it a review, favourite or follow, I'll have to discontinue this story, because I simply **_**can't**_** work without motivation. The fact that this teeny tiny chapter took me two days to complete should be proof of that :P **


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile in the outskirts of a quaint little village, a thin, pretty girl walked out of her house and headed towards the main village. She brushed back her layered dark blonde hair and thought about the little village, which she called home, with its little people. She gently swung her bag and considered how in the village, every day was the same as the one before.

She stopped to talk to the passing baker who said, "Good morning, Sydney! Where are you off to?"

"To the library! I just finished a wonderful book about the elements in the fifteenth group of the periodic table and their reactions to-"

"That's nice, my dear. Marie, the next delivery! Hurry up!"

Sydney shrugged and walked on. She was used to dumbing down her statements and people usually lost interest midway nonetheless.

She felt conscious as she passed two middle-aged women who whispered about the strange daughter of the strange man- they were rumoured to be alchemists- and both of whom had golden lily tattoos on their cheeks. The girl only liked to _read, _imagine that!

Sydney sighed and wished she had more in life than just a little provincial town. She had hoped her father, on reaching his new assignment, Palm Springs, would also request superiors to assign her there too.

A new city, with more people, more places, more _books._

On reaching her destination, the library, she opened the door with a big smile and politely greeted the librarian.

"Good morning, Sydney. Finished the book already?"

"Of course; I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"

The librarian chuckled and replied that he hadn't got any books since the previous day.

As always, Sydney hid her disappointment and assured him that she did not mind. She would just borrow her favourite book.

"The one about Greek history and architecture, my dear? But you've read that twice already!"

"It's my favourite book," she replied earnestly. "Greek men and women, the hetaerae and the juxtaposition of all those _wonderful_ buildings; did you know that the men-oh, never mind!"

"Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours."

"But, sir-"

"I insist. After all, you are the only one who actually keeps my business running."

After thanking him profusely, Sydney left the library with her head already bent to read the book, unaware of the three guys peering at her curiously from the shadow of the library, trying to figure out why she always had her head buried in a book.

On her way home, she sat down on a platform surrounding a fountain and wished she could go to the country of her dreams, Greece. As she lingered there, a sheep wandered up to her and gently nuzzled her knee. She turned to it with a soft smile and began almost unconsciously narrating the history of Greece to it. When the sheep tried to tear a page of the book with its teeth, she gave it an annoyed glance and set off again.

As she passed an adult education centre, a woman inside grumbled, "It's no wonder her first name means _wide meadow_ and her last name means _wise_. She's a wide meadow of wisdom. She could balance equations at the age of six!"

Her neighbour perked up, "And she's pretty too! I've heard many of the young men say that she's the most beautiful girl in the village. Some people just get all the luck…."

"Oh, that may be so, but inside I'm afraid she's rather peculiar."

Nearby, a gunshot rang through the bustling village and a migrating bird fell to its death. A blonde man of medium height with icy blue eyes tried to catch it and failed pitifully. He quickly stuffed the bird into his bag and tried to pretend as if his blunder never happened.

He ran up to a tall brown-haired guy with brown eyes and said, "Wow, Ian, you never miss a shot! You're the best hunter in the world! No beast alive stands a chance against you. No girl either, for that matter."

"I know, Keith. And I have my sight set on _that _one." He pointed towards Sydney.

"The alchemist's daughter? She's-"

"The lucky girl I'm going to marry."

"But she's-"

"The most beautiful girl in town."

"I know!"

"And that makes her the best" Ian said firmly. "Don't I deserve the best?"

"Of course! I mean, you do, but-"

Ian launched into a rant on how he had fallen in love with her right when he saw her, and how he planned to woo and marry her.

As he jogged by, a few of the village bimbos gushed and swooned about how handsome_, _manlyand _amazing _Ian was.

Ian tried to follow Sydney as she made her way obliviously through the everyday chaos of the village, but being the clumsy oaf that he was, took quite some time to make his way over roofs and through houses before making a mighty jump and landing in front of Sydney.

"Hello, Sydney," he smiled craftily.

**A/N: I'm so sorry that the past two chapters have been extremely short. The first one was just a trial run and as for the second, I wanted to upload **_**something**_** so as to not disappoint all you LOVELY people. If things had gone according to plan, I might have put up the third or fourth chapter by now, but as always, the universe surprised me. I'm already working on the third chapter and I'll try to upload tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. **

**Thank you for encouraging me! Keep reviewing and let me know what you like or don't like and I'll try my best at, well, everything **

**Here I would like to mention my amazing best friend and demand why the HELL she didn't review even after reading the first chapter and BEG her to at least type ONE word to satisfy me. I love you ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning, Ian."

Ian smiled arrogantly and snatched the book out of Sydney's hands and began to flip through it.

"Ian, may I have my book, please?" Sydney requested, irritation thinly veiled.

"How can you read this?" he asked, disgust and confusion obvious in his tone and on his face. "There are no pictures!"

"Well, some people use their imagination, you know. Provided they have a brain that actually works, of course."

"Sydney, it's about time you got your head out of those boring books and paid attention to more important things, like me." Ian tossed her book behind him where it landed in a muddy puddle.

"The whole town is talking about it," he continued. "It's not right for a woman to read. You should be paying more attention to your alchemist duties."

"Ian," Sydney said in a mocking voice. "You're positively primeval."

"Why, thank you, Sydney," he said, presuming that she meant that he was chivalrous in an old-fashioned way.

Meanwhile, Sydney quickly retrieved her book and tried to wipe it clean with a handy handkerchief. Ian just as quickly plucked the book out of her hands.

"What do you say you and I go on a walk and take a look at my trophies?" he asked, flashing what he thought was a charming smile at her.

"Maybe some other time, Ian," she said uneasily.

When he didn't budge, she pulled away from him and protested.

"Please, Ian, I can't. I have to home to help my father."

"That uptight old jerk?" Keith interrupted, laughing. "He needs all the help he can get!"

Ian joined in his laughter.

"Don't talk about him that way," Sydney fumed. "My father's not uptight. He's dedicated!"

Just then, a large number of black professional-looking cars whizzed by, kicking up dust on their way.

"The Alchemists!" Sydney exclaimed.

Ian and Keith laughed harder.

"Hey Sydney, they must be here to arrest your father!" teased Ian.

Sydney glared at him and set off towards her house at a fast run.

By the time Sydney reached her house, the last Alchemists had climbed back into their cars and left again. When she went inside and peeked into her father's room, she saw that he was surrounded by bags and suitcases already. She cleared her throat. Her father turned around, expecting her.

"Did you have fun at the village?" he asked formally.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, you'll have to look after yourself until I can make arrangements for you to join me at Palm Springs. It may take me a few weeks."

"A few weeks? But you said-"

"I know. But it seems a new crisis has come up. I have to dispose of a few stray Strigoi bodies at Los Angeles before going to Palm Springs. Some careless dhampir is at work again."

"Yes, sir"

**A/N: I know, I know. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I didn't want to go to sleep before updating. And it's one o'clock. IN THE MORNING. And I have to visit my new college tomorrow. Whoohoo!**

**If you must blame someone, blame sksai and their story 'what happens at weddings'. You distracted me! I love your story. Everyone else, check it out. It's amazing. (Btw I only got until chapter 5 so I'm going to try to wake up early, finish reading your story, update MY story and then leave to college. YEAH RIGHT. I'm probably going to wake up just in time to leave.)**

**Sorry I'm ranting. I'm half-asleep and my eyes are burning. To my BFF- I think you know how I feel, you know, seeing as we're both addicted to books :P**

**Expect another update in 18 hours or less. And may the odds be EVER in my favour. (See that Hunger Games reference? Oops, sorry, ranting again. I act like I'm drunk when I'm really sleepy.)**

**For the last time, BYE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: oh my god, people, you must hate me. I am exactly….five hours late. I know, I hate myself too. But I was held up by SO many things and I'm just EXHAUSTED.**

**Since I hadn't done this in the past three chapters, this is a warm thanks to all the wonderful people who supported me by reading, favouriting, following or reviewing this story. You're the best.**

**I would especially like to thank the reviewers: Goode-Lover, , Bloodlines Fan, Guest [please leave a name next time :D], spaztronaut, Artemisia Selene, 88cupcakes, sksai, Guest (pixie's) and Guest (Me). Thank you all for your amazing feedback and responses. I hope you know I REALLY, REALLY appreciate them. **

**I would like to send an even-more-special-thanks to the reviewers spaztronaut, Goode-Lover and pixie's for your wishes regarding my college and/or sharing your personal experiences with me. It made me feel like I actually know you, which makes me want to write more and better chapters for your satisfaction. If it wasn't for you guys, I may not have updated tonight at all. So thanks again!**

**Without any further delay…..**

"And while you're waiting for my order, try to keep out of trouble, will you? I have enough on my plate without you disgracing me," said Jared.

It took all Sydney's willpower not to respond to the jibe. She knew that the situation would only become worse if she tried to speak out.

Because Alchemists did not encourage free thinking.

"Yes, sir"

"And keep good company. That Ian boy seems to be responsible enough."

"I- yes sir," Sydney refrained from saying what she felt, or rather knew, that Ian was just a spoilt brat with no value for life.

"This mission is crucial for both our careers, Sydney, especially yours. So try not to mess up," was Jared's last comment before he left, driving their family's car, a brown Subaru Outback which Sydney had lovingly named Latte.

It was Sydney's secret habit to occasionally check on the location of the car through its GPS tracker, and she watched the little dot representing Latte move at a typically practical speed towards the forest on located just before Palm Springs. Her father had to drive through the wild and dangerous forest with no proper roads or signboards to follow in order to reach Palm Springs.

One evening, as she switched on the tracker she saw the dot suddenly slow down and stall in one spot before turning to the right and changing direction. Sydney assumed that he had to take a detour because the forest was too thick to continue in the same direction. She watched, worried, as the movement of the car turned erratic. It sometimes sped up and sometimes slowed down dramatically. Suddenly, it came to a screeching stop and the dot disappeared from the screen.

Yes, you guessed it right, Sydney freaked out.

The next three days were the most stressful three days of Sydney's life as she awaited any news from the Alchemists or her father.

Sydney was ashamed to admit to herself that she was frankly more worried about Latte than her father. Her father could take care of himself, which was more than she could say for her poor car.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Jared Sage was hopelessly lost. His GPS had suddenly flashed and the display had gone blank. His instinct told him to follow a shadowy path and he did so.

Things got even worse when he didn't take a turn properly and the car skidded to a stop and got stuck in the wet mud. When he got out of the car to inspect the damage, he heard some distinct howling sounds a few metres behind him.

He turned slowly and could gradually make out a few pairs of glowing eyes close to the ground at the top of a small hill. The wolves of the forest had caught his scent. Jared just stopped thinking and blindly ran into the forest. Pushing stray branches out of his way, tripping over roots in the ground and running across chasms, he suddenly spotted a huge iron-wrought gate in the forest which might once have been beautiful. He rattled the gate, calling for help as the wolves neared him.

The gate swung open and Jared fell inside. He stumbled upright and hastily closed the gate in the nick of time. As the wolves snapped and howled outside the gate, Jared decided to go inside the estate so he could be far from the gate just in case a thin wolf slipped through the iron bars. In his haste, he did not notice his ring slip off his finger and fall to ground. When Jared's eyes adjusted to the dark-somehow the area inside the gate was even darker than the forest- he gasped in horror.

A terrifying, dark and foreboding mansion, no, _castle_ loomed before him. Stormy clouds surrounded its turrets and lightning began to flash. Rain began pouring and Jared had no choice but to rush towards the castle in the downpour.

His fear of the wolves over-rode his fear of the castle and he banged on the wooden doors, one of which reluctantly creaked open.

He hesitantly walked inside, dripping all over the carpet and called, "hello? _Hello?_"

The sound of his voice echoed around the grand entry hall of the castle.

On receiving no response he made the Alchemist sign against evil on his left shoulder and tried again, "Hello? Is someone there?"

Meanwhile, on a table nearby, a candelabra and a table clock were having a furious discussion on whether to kick out this strange man or not. While the clock wanted to keep quiet and wait for him to go away, the candelabra felt sorry for him.

Not one to give up, Jared called, "Er… I don't mean to intrude but I lost my car and I just need a place to stay for the night."

The candelabra pleaded, "Dimitri, come on."

The clock, whose name was apparently Dimitri, replied, "Shh, Abe! Keep quiet!" and closed Abe's mouth with his hand.

With an annoyed expression, Abe lifted one of his arms and burnt Dimitri's hand-the one closing Abe's mouth.

Dimitri panicked and jumped around in pain as Abe put on his most charming smile and said, "Why, of course, dear sir. You are most welcome."

**A/N: I hope you were satisfied my choice and portrayal of the characters. I chose Dimitri for Cogsworth because they are both extremely loyal though they like to have fun, and don't generally disobey orders. I chose Abe for Lumiere because they're both charmers and ladies' men. They like to bend the rules and interpret them in their own fun way.**

**So leave me some feedback about what you think, like or don't like, any suggestions, or just say hi! I would love anything and everything.**

**And some bad news too. I visited the college and the daily timings are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., six days a week, plus tests every Saturday and Monday, plus homework, plus daily studies etc. so my updates, after a few more chapters, may be few and far spaced but please keep your faith in me and encourage me, because I have to try to juggle everything. College starts in three days so I have to prepare and everything so I don't really know how much time I can find for this story. But I love this site, I love this story and I love you guys so I'm going to try my best. **

**Dang, I just realised I ramble a LOT. So bye. Quickly. **


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